Orthopedic procedures to repair the bone structures of an anatomy, such as the human anatomy, generally require fixing grafts or implants to a bone structure. The fixation of a first or primary implant to a bone structure often requires a second implant or implant portion to engage the bone structure to fix the primary implant in place. Therefore, the secondary implant must be able to engage both the bone structure and the primary implant to ensure a proper fixation and stabilization of the bone structure for healing.
When the bone portion to which the secondary implant is affixed is a strong and healthy bone, fixation of a secondary implant is generally problem free. Nevertheless, injury to bone portions are generally more prevalent with already weakened or otherwise damaged bones. Therefore, the purchase of the secondary implant into the bone portion is generally more problematic. The secondary implant may strip the bone portion into which it is implanted or loosen over time due to degradation of the bone portion.
Although purchase of a secondary implant into a bone portion can be increased by increasing, for example, the depth of the thread of a screw or including bone engaging portions on the secondary implant, the purchase of the secondary implant can still be weakened over time due to further degradation of the bone. In addition, the interior of a weakened bone can already include gaps and pores that are larger than a healthy bone thus further reducing the purchase of the secondary implant into the bone portion.
Providing a system or implant that can increase purchase in a weakened bone portion is therefore desirable. Moreover, it is desirable to provide such an implant without requiring multiple portions to be implanted into the bone portion. It is desired to provide an implant that can be implanted into the bone portion to securely hold a primary implant without requiring numerous surgical procedures or a plurality of revision procedures for a single implant procedure. Moreover, it is desired to provide an implant that can securely fix a primary implant to a bone portion, that is substantially weakened due to disease, using a substantially strong and fast fixation method.